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by Dommi-chan
Mia Koji sighed. It had been a long, tiresome day. She had finally managed to chase Yulie into bed and was now busying herself with the cleaning of the kitchen. Cye and Kento had decided to "experiment" with leftovers again and had left the mess for the others. Ryo had run off, probably to play his new Dreamcast, as did Sage who mentioned something about katas.
Only Rowen had remained, leaning backwards at the table with his feet up in a chair.
"I'm cleaning up here Rowen...you can either help or get out of the way."
"Oh, I'm fine Mia." Mia just sighed in response and turned to finish with the dishes. The sensation of being watched finally was too much to bear and glanced at the reflection in the mirror above the stove. She'd been right, and going by the level of his eyes he'd been admiring the lower portion of her anatomy. Mia's face flushed self-consciously, although it was far from the first time she had caught him looking.
"You own any otha clothes? Nice ones?" The archer's question took her by surprise and the only reply she could come up with was to throw it back at him.
"Do you?"
"Nah...don't need 'em. When I'm not fighting, I'm eitha reading or flirting with a beautiful girl."
Mia rolled her eyes, then grinned at him. "You sir, are full of it."
"Think so?" Rowen looked thoughtful. "I'm looking at a beautiful girl right now...I think I could probably pick her up."
Mia's eyes widened and she flushed even more, until she saw where he was looking. It happened to be the glass door to the back porch. She quickly turned and saw...her reflection?
"Some genius you are...that's my reflection."
He gasped in mock surprise. "Well! You'ah right! I knew theah wasn't a girl in heah that was loveliah than you."
Mia groaned. "That was just...cheesy." She heard him chuckle as she went back to drying the dishes. "Are you quite finished?"
"Actually, I think I've just begun."
She moved around the table to where he sat and stood over him. "Well, I think you've had enough for one evening...."
"Oh, but I just can't get enough of you."
Mia just crossed her arms. "Well, we certainly are laying it on thick tonight. What's the special occasion?" He looked impossibly relaxed. His charm was turned all the way up to 11, complete with one of his rare genuine smiles that just lit up his whole face, Mia could see why he had no problems attracting the attentions of the co-eds at Han'a High. She wasn't exactly immune to it herself.
"I'm just...conducting an experiment of sorts. Seeing how far I can go."
"And?"
Rowen winked at her. "I got ya this far."
Mia grinned again and shook her head slightly. Rowen patted the seat next to him and after a moment's hesitation she slid next to and leaned against him. He draped an arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer.
"And now...I've gotten you heah."
"Smart-aleck." She slapped his thigh.
"Yeah I know. And Ryo's the dumbass. I don't get it Mia---why aren't you two togethah?"
"That why you made me come allllllll the way over here? To question me?"
"'Course not." He gave her a squeeze and then kissed the top of her head. Mia sighed.
"Rowen...are you drunk?"
"Drunk? Moi? Now, now Miss Koji, you know I don't go neah that stuff...and you'ah changing the subject."
"Fine if it'll get you off my case...I have a confession to make."
"All righty gorgeous...what is it?" He started playing with the hairs at the back of her neck.
"Ryo and I did go out on a date once...it didn't work out."
Rowen raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"It was a while ago...we went out and all we talked about was Talpa and the armours. It was sort-of my fault for mistaking admiration for infatuation, but ah well. We get along fine, there's just no spark there."
"Yet...the two of you carry on as though something is theah."
"Well, Yulie is just dead-set on it. You and the other guys aren't much help either. It's just...easier to let you all go on. It's a private joke between Ryo and myself now."
"Hmmm...but we've seen you two go out."
"Yeah, as friends. We're strictly platonic...no different from the two of us sitting here together." Rowen was quiet for a moment or two, his fingers leaving Mia's hair to move along her neck and jaw. It caused this pleasant tingling that unnerved Mia, but she wasn't going to be the one to stop him. Just like the guys, she got her thrills wherever she could find them, and this wasn't Rowen's worst. He'd copped lots of feels in the time they'd known each other, and she just let her head drop onto his shoulder, determined to enjoy it while she could.
"What if...what if I didn't want something platonic?" He said it lightly, as though it was not quite serious.
She looked up at him and didn't consider her answer before she blurted it out.
"What if I don't want to be just another notch in a Ronin Warrior's bedpost?"
Rowen frowned. "Touché" he murmured.
Mia felt a sudden pang of guilt. "Sorry...that wasn't right."
He looked down, then away and slightly nodded his acceptance. Mia just closed her eyes and settled in more comfortably, his hand still stroking down her throat and shoulders. She'd actually considered a relationship with either Sage or Rowen a few dozen times. But after having tunnel vision about Ryo and that not working out...well it left her a little gun-shy. And Sage always had at least three girls he was seeing, not to mention the "Sage Date Appreciation Society." As for Rowen...well she'd opted to keep him as friendly flirting only, even though moments like these made her wonder how something more may turn out.
She felt his hand slip down her arm, lightly grazing her breast once before doing it again. She smirked, unsure if it was accidental or otherwise. She wouldn't put it past him to try. She moved out from under his arm and rose from the table.
"Eechi."
"What? I am shocked...shocked and appalled that you would call me that." The crooked grin on his face told her that it had been, indeed, on purpose.
"If you wanted to get that close to me, you should have just asked me to dance." Mia knew full well that dancing was not Rowen of the Strata's favorite pastime.
He stood, bowed, and offered his hand. "Would thou grant me the honour of one dance, milady?"
She stared, first in amazement, then in suspicion. "Okay what is it? What do you want?"
He pursed his lips, but it didn't stop that crooked grin. "Nothing. Ya got something against dancing?"
"No, but you do," she muttered and walked into the living room and turned on the CD player to random. The player whirred as it tried to find a song suitable for playing as she sashayed back to Rowen. With a wicked smile, she said "I hope it's a fast one."
"Would ya really spite me like that?" He was leaning against the wall, one hand in his hair and giving her the once over. She just shrugged and the pair waited. Finally, the slow, sweet strains of an old love song poured out of the speaker and Rowen just grinned even wider. "Nice choice." He grabbed her hand and pulled her against his chest.
"Pah. You got lucky is all." She found herself trying to look up at him and took a step back.
"Wheah're you goin'?" He started dancing alone, hauling her to the right so that she had to fight for balance, then had the gall to laugh.
"You are aware that, by doing that, you have now forfeited all gentleman points you had up 'til this point." She straightened and his arms went about her waist, dipping her quickly to the floor where it happened.
He kissed her...slow and sweet and soft and lingering. She melted. He stood her upright, folding her body into his own and whispering "Does that fix things?"
Mia just swallowed, unable to answer or even look at him. Her heart was suddenly pounding furiously. Rowen didn't seem to need an answer and he continued moving them slowly to the music.
She felt like a giddy, stupid schoolgirl. All she could do was notice and admire every movement he made.
"Sing for me."
"What?"
He shifted and stared down at her. "Sing."
Gods, he could have asked her to do anything at that moment and she would have complied. She hesitated; she listened to the words and wasn't sure she wanted to say such things. He started singing, his deep voice murmuring alone without hers and making her shiver.
"I can't heah you" he chided with that grin on his face. It broke the spell of physical attraction and stupidity and Mia smiled as she joined in. His grin widened and he whirled her around, before taking both her hands and moving more playfully. He pulled her close, dipped her again, and let her up and away again.
Mia suddenly grew a little apprehensive; it wasn't like Rowen to act this way around her. In a way it also left her feeling...warm. *Rowen the love interest* she thought. *And a pretty good kisser too.* She started laughing under her breath.
"Care to share?" He drew nearer, slipping an arm back around her waist.
She shook her head and smiled, blushing again. He pulled her close against him and didn't let go this time. Hip to hip, swaying to the rhythm, she was the only one singing when the song ended. He held on to her a few minutes more before he released her.
"I should...go to bed. I have a calc test tomorrow." The earlier smile returned for a moment as he backed away. "G'night Mia...I lo-," he stopped. "I'll see ya in the morning." He quickly turned and headed for the stairs.
Mia froze, thoughts and feelings racing through her, all leading to an inevitable and overdue realization. She hurried to catch up.
"Rowen?"
He paused on the landing as she caught up to him. She leaned up on tip toe and impulsively kissed his cheek.
"I love you, too."
He studied her for a moment, half smiling, and then he pressed his index finger to her mouth in a gesture of silence. She watched as he headed up the stairs, his figure getting a tiny bit smaller as he kept moving away from her.
She went back into the kitchen, hit the lights, and headed upstairs herself for bed, all the while humming to the remembered strains of a love song and that one shining moment.
Yeah so that was cheesy...what of it? Comments, etc. are welcome. :-)
**Dommi-chan**
::prepares for firebombing from the "Rowen Hashiba Appreciation Society"::